EXCLUSIVE: Colin Trevorrow, who made his feature directorial debut on the no-budget Sundance pic Safety Not Guaranteed, is about to make a Tyrannosaurus rex-sized leap in scale for his next film. He has been set by Universal Pictures to helm Jurassic Park 4, the third sequel to the dinosaur franchise hatched from Michael Crichton’s novel. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have written the script. Frank Marshall is producing with Patrick Crowley, and Steven Spielberg is executive producer. It will be shot in 3D and get released June 13, 2014. This is Spielberg’s baby, and he got this giant franchise going by directing the first two films. This is a big piece of business for Universal and Spielberg; their last Jurassic Park picture was released in 2001, directed by Joe Johnston.

Trevorrow made his jump to features on Safety Not Guaranteed, which FilmDistrict acquired and released and which grossed $4 million. He’s making a humungous step up in every way by joining a franchise which, in three films, has grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide, with Universal preparing a theatrical rerelease of the first film in 3D on April 5.

Why Trevorrow? He met with the studio and filmmakers, and they felt he was a good match for the material, having grown up a huge fan of the trilogy and part of a new generation of directors steeped in all things dinosaur. They felt he would preserve and protect the characters in the story they created.